


a word to the wise

by Captain_of_the_sass



Series: Tumblr oneshots [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, and Natasha and Clint being overprotective, mostly angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 16:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5010931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_of_the_sass/pseuds/Captain_of_the_sass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony’s not amused, doesn’t think any of this is funny at all, but he finds himself glancing at Steve and laughing anyway. He knew this would happen. He knew he would drag Steve down to the bottom and ruin him just like he ruined everything else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a word to the wise

**Author's Note:**

> A tumblr fill based on the prompt "Steve/Tony - 'Don’t listen to them. Don’t you EVER listen to them.' Please~"  
> I have no beta so please let me know if you find any errors!

If there’s anything Tony’s roller coaster of a life has taught him, it’s that he can’t hold on to anything good. Whether it’s karma or just plain bad luck, he has a knack for ruining things. He’s a poison, soaking into everything and eating away at it until there’s nothing left. Tony makes sweet things turn sour no matter how hard he tries to preserve it, to keep himself from fucking up yet again. It’s a fact of life that Tony’s learned how to accept. But against all odds he had still still managed to hope that maybe, just maybe, he could have this _one_ good thing. So it was kind of a rude surprise when he was minding his own business making coffee in the kitchen and Clint hollered to him from the living room.

“Get in here, Tony!” He practically shouts, “They’re talking about you on TV.”

Tony didn’t get what was happening at first, just rolled his eyes and got a mug from the cupboard. “I’m on TV all the time Barton, It’s not that exciting anymore.”

When Natasha poked her head in and says “You’ll want to see this.” Well, _then_ he started to worry. With a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach Tony set his mug on the counter and followed her into the living room, eyes immediately locking onto the TV screen. It was one of those celebrity gossip shows; a bunch of rich assholes sitting around badmouthing people and sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Tony had been featuring on it dozens of times before, if not hundreds. But now they’d dragged Steve into it with him.

There was a candid photo of them in the top right corner, holding hands. They’d been keeping their budding relationship on the down-low, afraid of the press blowing things out of proportion. Afraid of _this_.

“Let’s not forget Stark’s less than stellar relationship history.” One guy says in reply to whatever the person before him had said, “He’s not exactly winning any awards for commitment.” everyone onscreen laughs like the guy’s just told some hilarious joke and Tony kind of feels like throwing up. 

“I don’t mind the captain going for guys,” a woman with hair like an artfully styled mop adds, “But Tony Stark? Really? With that man's history he's the last person who should be in any sort of relationship with Captain America. If you guys are trying to set a good example for children, well done. You're doing a bang-up job.” Her words were smug and spiteful, and Tony feels overwhelmed by the desire to punch her in her sarcastic little mouth. Apparently Clint feels the same if the way he’s glaring at the TV is any indication.

“Want me to shave her head?” he asks, and Tony chokes out a laugh. He’s just starting to feel a little better when the other hosts start laying into Steve too, badmouthing him as if they have any right to, _and it’s all Tony’s fault_. When one of them says something about Steve only keeping Tony around so he’ll continue footing the bill for the Avengers Natasha snarls something in Russian, squeezing the glass of orange juice in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turn white.

“I don’t see the relationship lasting very long anyway,” one of them says, “Even if it truly is a healthy mutually beneficial relationship- no, _especially_ if it is- Stark’s always running away from that sort of thing. He’s bound to screw it up sooner or later.”

“Turn it off.” 

The voice is sharp and sudden like a strike of lightning and Tony feels his heart jump into his throat because _Steve’s right there behind him_. His whole body freezes up and it’s like he’s sinking deep into his own head, barely aware of the TV suddenly going dark as he plots his escape route.

“Fuckin’ assholes.” Clint grounds out.

Tony’s not amused, doesn’t think any of this is funny at all, but he finds himself glancing at Steve and laughing anyway. He knew this would happen. He knew he would drag Steve down to the bottom and ruin him just like he ruined everything else.  
Steve doesn’t realize what direction Tony's thoughts have taken and he scowls, snapping; “It’s not funny, Tony.” and Tony’s on the verge of crying yet he still can’t stop fucking _laughing_.

“No, it’s not." Tony manages, "It’s really really not.“

He’s aware of Natasha dragging Clint out of the room to give them privacy but his eyes are locked with Steve’s. It sucks, because over the years he’d gotten so good at ignoring the press, built up an immunity to everything they threw at him. But he can’t take Steve being treated this way. Steve, who’s been nothing but patient, and sweet, and _good_.

“I’m sorry,” Tony says, and the smile feels so wrong on his face right now that it _hurts_. Steve can tell, too. He can always tell. The irritation on his face drains away as Steve tugs him close, stroking his back.

“ _You’re_ sorry?” Steve murmurs, “Tony, it’s not your fault that those guys can’t mind their own damn business.” Tony fidgets, though he wants so badly to just curl into Steve’s touch.

“They know now. That means everyone knows; all the newspapers and magazines. They have pictures, Steve, they-”

Steve’s hold tightens almost imperceptibly. “So what?” he challenges, “I love you. I don’t care who knows it, and I certainly don’t care what those assholes think.” 

“They’re right, Steve.”

Steve’s whole body goes tighter than a bowstring and he jerks his head back to stare at Tony, who pointedly avoids his gaze. “About what?”

Tony tries to pull himself free of Steve’s arms but the super soldier refuses to let go so he settles for keeping his eyes trained on the floor, mumbling in the vain hope that Steve won’t be able to hear him. “I’m going to screw this up. I screw _everything_ up. Always. They’re _right._ I’m no good, Steve.” The look on Steve’s face is absolutely heartbroken and it only makes Tony feel worse. He opens his mouth to say something- to apologize, probably- but nothing comes out. Steve decides to fill the silence instead, and the kiss preceding it is fierce and desperate, his hands on Tony’s cheeks. He pulls away just enough to whisper against Tony's lips.

“Don’t listen to them,” Steve breathes, and there’s so much emotion in those words that Tony gets choked up, “Don’t you _ever_ listen to them.”

All Tony can do is nod, letting his head fall forward so that their foreheads are touching.

“You said you love me.” He whispers, and it’s somewhere between an awed statement and a question. It was the first time he’d ever heard Steve say it aloud.

Steve laughed, breathless and beautiful. “I did.”

Tony gathered his courage. “I love you too. You’re an idiot, but I love you.” 

Later, after a long talk and a night spent sharing the warmth of Tony’s bed, Tony makes a point of shutting down Clint’s growing desire to put an end to their little TV show friends.

“That’s fine,” Natasha says with a shrug, “We have other ways of getting revenge.”

It was less than a week before the show was mysteriously cancelled. Tony decided that he really doesn’t want to know how they managed it.

 

 

 

But he was grateful.


End file.
